Lalita Salve had sought a month’s leave to undergo a sex reassignment surgery, but the request was refused by the Beed police authorities.

indiaUpdated: Nov 27, 2017 16:33 IST

Press Trust of India Press Trust of India, Mumbai

Woman cop Lalita Salve in Bombay high court in Mumbai on November 23.(Satish Bate/HT Photo)

The Bombay high court on Monday asked a 28-year-old woman police constable in Beed district to approach the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal over her request for leave to undergo a sex-change surgery.

Lalita Salve, who now prefers to be called Lalit, had sought a month’s leave to undergo a sex reassignment surgery, but the request was refused by the Beed police authorities.

“Why should we hear the petition? Go to the state administrative tribunal,” Justice Dharmadhikari said.

According to the petition, Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body three years ago and underwent medical tests, wherein it was found that the presence of Y chromosome in her body was more.

“The petitioner later undertook counselling sessions with psychiatrists at the state-run J J Hospital. The doctors detected that she had a gender dysphoria abnormality and advised her to undergo a sex reassignment surgery, if she was willing to and was of sound mind,” the petition said.